Sunday, June 6, 2010

I just happened to drop in on Marjie the other day after she whipped up the most tantalizing S'more Parfaits. At the end of her post, she mentioned something about not having her recipe for "real chocolate custard" handy which got me to thinking. What defines "real chocolate custard?" Is there a difference between Custards and Puddings? Oh I know, they seem like the most obvious of questions but quite frankly, I still find them both confusing. And, when you stir in "ganache like chocolate pudding" then what?

I'm not sure if I told you yet but I'll be sure to make note of it now. On June 26th chocolate pudding lovers' everywhere will be celebrating National Chocolate Pudding Day. Yep, an entire day devoted to chocolate pudding. How cool is that??? I have every intention of celebrating National Chocolate Pudding Day because first and foremost, I LOVE Chocolate Pudding. Not vanilla, not pistachio, not even butterscotch (although homemade butterscotch pudding, "real" pudding, could someday possibly gain my vote:) For now, it's Chocolate! I'm especially fond of homemade chocolate pudding which as you may have heard zillions of times, is quite easy to make from scratch. I'm not sure if any of these recipes fall into the category of "real chocolate custard" in Marjie's eyes but they are only a few of the recipes I turn to when I'm craving chocolate pudding, or custard for that matter. These first two recipes are from a previous post I did celebrating *Chocolate Milk Powder Day.

These two Chocolate Pudding recipes are from the same recipe booklet. They both use cornstarch.I usually have a difficult time choosing from the assortment of Ghirardelli "Sweet Sixteen" recipe packets. Here are four I go to:) Enjoy! (hope this helps Marjie:)

Louis Antoine Godey publisher and founder of Godey's Lady's Book, the first successful American women's fashion magazine, was born today in 1804. There is a sample of Godey's Lady's Book at the University Of Vermont website and Lidian over at Kitchen Retro posted a A Very Godey Birthday a while back. Godey's Lady's Book was instrumental in introducing many unknown women authors during its heyday. With the help of a person named Debbie, an online person I never met way back when, I gathered a bit of information on Godey.

...In the beginning he modeled it frankly upon a popular English periodical for women, filling it with material "selected" from foreign magazines, and depending for feminine favor largely upon a page of music and attractive colored fashion plates. With shrewd business insight he soon realized the wider possibilities of such a publication in a country where women of the "domestic circle" were becoming increasingly important as readers. He ceased to borrow from foreign sources and began to print, and pay for, the work of American women writers such as *Eliza Leslie. Her first publication, Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, with recipes appeared in 1837. Beside Eliza Leslie , William Cullen Bryant, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Longfellow all contributed to the magazine. Edgar Allan Poe's first contribution to Godey's Lady's Book was his Tale of the Ragged Mountains. In 1837, Godey, bought out the Ladies Magazine of Boston, and placed its correct and highly respected editor, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, at the head of his own periodical. One of her poems The Empire of Woman was also published in the periodical. By 1843 he could announce a number "entirely the production of lady writers" and assure his readers that the Lady's Book was the only magazine in the world "consecrated to the promotion of those pure virtues and moral influences which constitute women's mission." As the prosperity of the publication increased, Godey attracted to his pages, by means of liberal payments, the best known of American writers, men as well as women; in 1845 he began to copyright his material. In his own department, Godey's Arm Chair, he commented on and advertised the many innovations and "embellishments" of his periodical. By 1858 its circulation had reached 150,000. He remained sole proprietor of the paper until 1877 when his two sons temporarily took over the business. At the end of that year he disposed of his interests to a publishing company and retired, confidently appealing to three generations of readers to acknowledge "the purity of the magazine and it's eminent fitness for family reading."

Interested in a little Drive-In Theater History? You picked the perfect day. The first drive-in movie theater opened in Camden, New Jersey, on June 6, 1933. Up until about 2 years ago, there was a drive-in down in State College. I vowed to go when I moved here but alas, it has sadly since closed: What's the second best thing to remember about the drive-in, the concession stand, of course:)

The application for a patent was filed on August 6, 1932, and it was later granted by the patent office on May 16, 1933 under patent number 1,909,537...On May 16, 1933, the day the patent was granted, work began on constructing the drive-in on Crescent Boulevard in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. The location is usually reported as Admiral Wilson Blvd. in Camden, but technically the Theater was just over the Camden town line, where the name of the road changes. Opening night was June 6, 1933, and it was known simply as "Drive-In Theater" although the actual name was the "Automobile Movie Theater." Opening night was packed with cars, and the first film ever shown at a drive-in was the 1932 release of "Wives Beware," which was in second-run status at the time. The problem of obtaining first-run films for drive-ins remains to this day! Admission was 25 cents for each car and an additional 25 cents for each person, somewhat higher than the prevailing price at the indoor houses at the time, who were also offering double features. Ironically, this has reversed itself over time and drive-ins are usually the only places to see double features today.(source )

On June 6, 1866, Baron Brisse, quite possibly the first food journalist, wrote a column in a French publication suggesting the creation of the dessert; Baked Alaska, was introduced into France by the chef of a visiting Chinese delegation at the Grand Hotel in Paris. Gee, I was under the impression *Count Rumford invented Baked Alaska. According to the Food Timeline, "There are (at least) four popular stories regarding the "invention/evolution" of this dessert." Image courtesy of wiki.

You don't need to wait until December to try your hand at this Baked Alaska recipe from the Millennium Alaskan Hotel Anchorage. Nor do you have to wait until National Baked Alaska Day, February 1st. Crank up that ice cream maker. Baked Alaska makes a festive summer time dessert!!!

June 7th

Everywhere I go these days I see proclamations that read, "on June 7, 1786, the first day ice cream was sold in the US." I'm not so sure about that. I'll have to investigate. I do know, however, that June 7th is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day! I still have the packet out. What the heck! I'm sure this recipe for Ghirardelli's Chocolate Ice Cream can be found everywhere but here it is just in case. Now as for adapting it, that's up to you!!!

June 8th

I know this may sound rather odd but I just can't resist. Today is supposedly Shoo Fly Day. Not only does it state it right here, I guess the site owner thinks it's the perfect time to celebrate, Shoo Fly Pie:)

Have you had your fill of donuts and sweets this month? Not yet? Good. According to Mr. Breakfast, there are 16 Breakfast Holidays and one of them is today, or tomorrow:) It's International Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day!

"The legendary chef Antonin Carême, born June 8, 1784, is generally acknowledged as the founder of classic French cookery." You can view an Extraordinary Banquet composed by the master at The Old Foodie blog. Incredible!!! Wanna a bit of dessert? Last year Courtney celebrated Carême's birthday with a gorgeous Peach Souffle. Or, you can feast your eyes on this Savoy Cake with Oranges mastered by the master himself.

Gold Medal [flour] received its name on June 8, 1880, when the Washburn Crosby Company, predecessor to General Mills, Inc., entered the first International Millers' Exhibition and won the gold, silver and bronze medals on their three grades of spring wheat.

June 9th

Fred Waring, as in Waring Blender, (originally called the Miracle Mixer) was born in Tyrone, PA on June 9, 1900. I bet you didn't know he was among many things, a musician too. Yes, he was quite the character. Don't forget to navigate the side bar for a wonderful journey.

On June 9, 1822, Charles Graham patented false teeth. I kid you not. It's right here in Today in Science.

In 1822, Charles Graham received the first patent for false teeth. (Dentures) His were not the first false teeth in use, however. In the Colonial years, rotten teeth were considered the cause of many illnesses, and they would be extracted. Varied ways of replacing them were tried. For example, George Washington had at least four sets of false teeth (though none were wooden, despite a myth to that effect). Washington's first dentures were made using human teeth inserted into carved ivory. In 1789, dentist John Greenwood of New York, made Washington another set from gold, hippo teeth, and hippo and elephant ivory. The one natural remaining tooth was a molar, and a hole was left for that.

"Frank Hardart and Joe Horn (Horn & Hardart) opened their first Automat on June 9, 1902 at 818 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The birth date of modern fast food." (source)

June 10th

It's Herbs & Spice Day

It's National Black Cow Day- The first National Black Cow Day was celebrated on August 19, 1893. How do I know this? Now, what would a Black Cow be without Hires Root Beer? I posted about *Mr. Hires & the Black Cow back in August of 2009. Here's a nibble from that post:

What exactly is a Black Cow? From The Dictionary of American Food and Drink by John F. Mariani:Any variety of ice-cream sodas made with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Usually the soda itself is either chocolate, sarsaparilla, or root beer (called a Boston cooler), and the name refers to the mixture of dark soda with the white dairy item floating in it. If made with chocolate soda (that is, seltzer, milk and chocolate syrup), it might be called a Black-and White, especially in the East. In the 1930s plain root beer sometimes went by this term, as did chocolate milk in the 1940s, especially at lunch counters.

June 11th

On June 11,1939, the King and Queen of England were in America to visit with President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt. As is befitting of such a grand event, the King and Queen were fed some of the gourmet foods of the United States. In fact, it was the first time that both the King and Queen had tasted hot dogs.

"Much to the horror of FDR's mother Sara Roosevelt, the King and Queen of England were served hot dogs on the front porch of the cottage. Although the press made a great deal about the hotdogs (the picnic made the front page of the New York Times), the menu also included more delicate fare fit for a King and Queen:(scroll down for the menu)

Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. I'm going to try and dig out those Hawaiian cookbooks to celebrate.

Every June 11th, thousands of people gather on the northern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii to honor Kamehameha I, the chief who united the Hawaiian Islands in 1795.

A lot of interesting days to celebrate. Do you know that the first automat restaurant opened in 1897 in Berlin? Horn & Hardard just borrowed the idea. But in Germany the automats were not very popular.

Hi Louise!Geesh where have I been?! So many great food celebrations have occurred without me. I was on vacation to see the in-laws and now I must check in with my favorite people. I love pudding day! I make the chocolate pudding over the stove recipe and put it on ice cream. It melts into a delicious treat.

You brought back fond memories with the Baked Alaska recipe. I haven't made it in many years, and always knew it as Bombe Alaska. You can also place the ice cream on pineapple rings for a refreshing flavor (instead of the cake).Loads of interesting snippets as always Louise.

just caught up with june and as always my mind is abuzz with all this fascinating info - want to celebrate all your foodie days and yet they just pass me by so quickly but love to read about them nevertheless

You really should try Shoo Fly Pie one day Rosa. Save your urge for a day that you need tons of sweetness!

I absolutely think egg yolks add a welcome richness Marjie. Now chocolate, well there's an embellishment I couldn't live without. I can definitely see you getting into the cakes and breads in jars. So cool...

Chocolate pudding over ice cream? I'm not sure how that would sit with me Kasha but, I sure would be willing to give it a try! Welcome back from vacation. I hope you had a blast!!!

How about flan, Juliana? Now, we are both confused! Must further research:)

June gets even better, Oyster! Did you see this week's list. Holly Hanna!!!

I had a feeling you would like those chocolate pudding recipes, Janet. They don't call you Dying for Chocolate for nothing, lol. Thanks for the link and your kind words:)

Thanks Grace. I must have apples on the brain, I made an apple crisp last night and topped it with parfait ice cream. Mmmmmm.....good.

So, duckie, did you celebrate June 12th with lots of Peanut Butter Cookies???

Hi Wanda It's so nice to "see" you. I'm glad you dropped by. It seems, I misplaced your link. I've got it in safe keeping now. It sounds like you have the makings of quite the bombe of a Baked Alaska. Pineapples, very interesting, indeed. Thanks for sharing...

I would love to one day do an entire post on Iced Tea, Natasha. I think it has attained new heights worth exploring. Sure could use a glass myself right now. It's going to be 90 degrees today!!!

Shoo Fly Pie is right up there with Whoopie Pies in my neck of the woods, Reeni. The Amish stand down the block has it on a daily basis. Since it is so sweet, I try to avoid it but oh goodness...Let us know if you make a Baked alaska for your mom. How cool would that be...

I'm still trying to catch up with June, Johanna:) It is indeed a foodie lovers month!!!